Unidentified persons burgled house, set it on fire

Published: Monday, February 7, 2011, 0:00 [IST]

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New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) The ''burn and burgle'' gang, agroup of juvenile thieves which set on fire the house or shopit targets, appears to have made a re-entry in the capitalwith unidentified persons today setting ablaze a house insouth Delhi before decamping with articles, police said.

The incident was reported from Laxmibai Nagar in SarojiniNagar, from where similar incidents were reported earlier, ataround 6:15 am, a senior police official said.

The house owner Vinay Shukla, a businessman, and hisfamily were in Kanpur to attend a marriage function.

"Neighbours noticed smoke emanating from the house andinformed fire brigade and police," the official said, addingtwo fire tenders were rushed to the spot which took 30 minutesto douse the blaze.

Investigators believe it is the handiwork of the ''burnand burgle'' gang as the thieves appeared to erase allevidences by setting the house on fire.

Shukla, who operates his business in Kanpur from Delhi,has been informed about the incident. "We are waiting for himto return so that we can ascertain what all things were stolenfrom the house," the official said.

A gang led by a minor, who now turned 18 years, wasallegedly involved in a series of similar cases in SarojiniNagar, Laxmi Bai Nagar, Kotla and R K Puram.

The gang leader had escaped from an observation home morethan five times over the last seven years and had earlier beeninvolved in several cases of theft and burglary.

The gang used to dispose off the stolen articles throughone of their contacts in Bihar.